Alabama

When Taylor Hicks isn't on stage in Las Vegas, he plays other concert dates, makes TV appearances, sings at sports events and generally works the celebrity circuit. In May, for example, he performed on a Southwest Airlines flight, as part of a "Live At 35 Travelin' Taylor Tour," co-sponsored by Taylor Guitars. (Taylor Hicks Facebook page)

The article by Zack O'Malley Greenburg cites Hicks' Las Vegas residency as a key factor, as along with his income from Saw's Juke Joint in Birmingham. (Hicks is a partner in the restaurant, 1115 Dunston Ave.)

"The first and only Idol act with a Vegas residency, Hicks started out at Bally’s and moved to a bigger room at the Paris Las Vegas hotel and casino," Greenburg writes. "Season Five’s winner, who also co-owns a restaurant in his native Alabama, now plays five nights a week. Says Hicks: 'The platform of American Idol changed my life'.”

Figures for the singers' earnings are estimates, calculated "with the help of data from Pollstar Pro, the RIAA, Nielsen SoundScan as well as industry veterans, the musicians’ handlers and some of the artists themselves," the article says. "These numbers reflect pretax earnings from June 2012 through June 2013."

"When Arista dropped him in 2008, he founded record label Modern Whomp and released two albums in two years," Greenberg writes. "The second sold over 50,000 copies—less than one-tenth of his self-titled major label debut—but still a respectable amount for an indie launch. Hicks also owns a handful of rental properties ('Some people get a kick out of Taylor Hicks being their landlord,' he says) and is part-owner of Saw’s Juke Joint, a Birmingham barbeque-and-blues bar."